NO.120
T H E T R U S T Y S E RVA N T
Old Wykehamist Tolling Club
Obiter Dicta
OW Tolling Club is recruiting for the
annual highlight: the Alumni Race on
December 12th, 2015. The race is hosted
by Thames Hare & Hounds on the
historic Blues course over Wimbledon
Common; the distance is 5 miles, suitable
for a full range of fitness and athletic
ability, with age categories up to V60 (and
beyond). Any interested runners should
send an email to Anthony Doolittle at
[email protected].
John Darling (cont’d)
Water Polo
HLC Frere-Cook (B, 00-05) writes:
The winning OW team at Winchester
Match, posing with the Tom Noyce
shield. The game finished 6-1, bringing to
an end a three-year winning streak for the
current men. Tom returned to referee and
managed a tense match with
magnanimous skill – whilst passions ran
high, no one was permanently excluded
this year. Next year will be the tenth
iteration: we will have a few new recruits
from this crop of leavers and I hope many
more OWs will be able to make it to
Winchester Match 2016.
TN Hone (F, 68-72) writes:
Andrew Orange has not got it quite right
(TS119). Jo Darling used to say, ‘[X] was a
verra verra remarkable man, verra
remarkable’, followed by a sound that defies
description using letters of the alphabet.
My happiest memories of Jo were during
Physics lessons about electricity. We were
equipped with lengths of cable with
crocodile clips on the end to make circuits
of various kinds. These, surreptitiously, we
used to attach to the tail of Jo’s jacket
while he passed about the div room
expounding on diodes or transistors (in
our day it was almost valves – I exaggerate
a little) or whatever. The more
adventurous would add lengths of cable to
previously attached ones so that he trailed
longs leads about the room. He was so
enthusiastic about the subject that it took
him a long time (and some long cables) to
notice. Eventually he would and, in an
exasperated voice, say, ‘Now look here,
you men’ (the “e” in “men” was hardly
pronounced). I have no memory of awful
retribution for this tiresome behaviour.
Heaven forbid that Andrew ever
daydreamed during one of Jo’s lessons.
Surely not.
Happy days indeed. He was a great man.
All flesh is as grass but his passing is sad.
AMF Orange (E, 68-72) concurs:
Yes, the routine after the ‘verra’ was
something like a loud gulp/swallowing
sound, followed by a very broad smile!
The routine after ‘You see, [name]’ was
similar but generally omitted the sound. I
do remember the crocodile-clip game and
agree the riposte was just ‘Now look here,
you men!’ He was a kind man.
There was also a very old video machine.
Didn’t we always clamour for a film of a
suspension bridge falling to bits, as it
experienced aeroelastic flutter in a high
wind?
Jo was never boring and actually I think
that’s a great quality for a teacher.
L-R: Alex Lijka (E, 08-13), Korn Chatikavanij (D, 78-82), Eden Forter (H, 09-14), Hugh Frere-Cook (B, 00-05),
Sam Dunning, JD Dunning, Jackie Chau (A, 08-13), James Mok (E, 11-13)
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